Shark attacks at Port St Johns end activities

Shark attacks at Port St Johns’ notorious Second Beach have put a stop to surfing – once a flourishing sport in the area among youths.

This week businessman Michael Gatcke , who started a surfing school in the area in 2005 , told how local youths had showed a lot of enthusiasm for the sport .

However, the school was forced to close due to the shark attacks and the resulting lack of interest.

He said he had started the surf school after seeing the eagerness among local boys from Mthumbana township, just five minutes away from Second Beach, to learn the sport.

Gatcke, a surfer himself, said he was impressed with how the 15 boys he taught had improved their standard of surfing.

“They were very eager to learn and some of them represented Border for a couple of years, taking part in various competitions,” he said.

However, Gatcke closed his surfing school after the tragic death of two lifeguards at Second Beach in 2009.

“The shark attacks forced me to close because I couldn’t risk the young boys’ lives when everyone knew there were sharks in the sea.”

Over the past five years , two surfers and three lifeguards have died due to shark attacks at Second Beach.

- Daily Dispatch